ENVS 2410 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Ecotoxicology, Bioaccumulation, Lipophilicity

• School: York University
• Department: Environmental Studies
• Course: ENVS 2410
• Professor: Lewis Molot

Document Summary

Main topics: chemical properties of contimanints that affect their fate and transport, regional and global movement/transport of contaminants via natural processes. Transformation, degradation and storage of contaminants in the biosphere. Ecotoxicology --> the study of the movement of toxic materials through the environment, their chemical transformation, and the effect that those materials have upon natural systems, in particular the effects on whole populations and whole ecosystems. Ecotoxicology= toxicology + ecology + physical and chemical processes. Properties that affect movement in chemicals: solubility. Polar: contaminants that are soluble in water (polar) are said to be hydrophilic/water loving. When dissolved, they can be transported by flowing surface waters and ground waters. Non polar:contaminants that are non-polar and hydrophobic/water fearing, instead are fat soluble and dissolve in lipids/fatty tissues, tend to adhere to particle surfaces and not remain in water (once absorbed they behave as solids and end ip in sediments)